U.S. patent number 11,042,189 [Application Number 16/744,057] was granted by the patent office on 2021-06-22 for docking cradle for a handheld computing device having multiple mounting orientations.
This patent grant is currently assigned to PANASONIC AVIONICS CORPORATION. The grantee listed for this patent is Panasonic Avionics Corporation. Invention is credited to Andrew Barnes.
United States Patent |
11,042,189 |
Barnes |
June 22, 2021 |
Docking cradle for a handheld computing device having multiple
mounting orientations
Abstract
A docking cradle for a handheld computing device, such as a
handheld controller, remote control, tablet computer, smartphone or
other electronic device. The docking cradle is configured to be
mountable to a horizontal mounting surface (e.g., a table or other
horizontal surface), or a vertical mounting surface (e.g., a
seatback or wall), while in either mounting orientation, the
docking cradle holds the computing device in substantially the same
orientation for convenient use and access by a user.
Inventors: |
Barnes; Andrew (Mission Viejo,
CA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Panasonic Avionics Corporation |
Lake Forest |
CA |
US |
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Assignee: |
PANASONIC AVIONICS CORPORATION
(Lake Forest, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
1000005632403 |
Appl.
No.: |
16/744,057 |
Filed: |
January 15, 2020 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20200341510 A1 |
Oct 29, 2020 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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16392181 |
Apr 23, 2019 |
10585455 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F
1/1632 (20130101); H05K 5/0204 (20130101); H05K
5/0008 (20130101); H05K 5/0069 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
1/16 (20060101); H05K 5/02 (20060101); H05K
5/00 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Wu; Jerry
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Perkins Coie LLP
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority as a continuation from prior,
co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/392,181, filed on
Apr. 23, 2019, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,585,455 on XXX. Priority
to the foregoing prior patent application is expressly claimed, and
the disclosure of the prior application is hereby incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A docking cradle for a handheld computing device, the docking
cradle comprising: a cradle assembly comprising a cradle housing
having a front side, a bottom side, a top side and a back side, the
front side of the cradle housing having a slot for slidably
receiving the computing device and holding the computing device in
a substantially vertical orientation, the cradle assembly further
comprising a cradle connector which connects to a computing device
connector on the computing device when the computing device is
installed in the slot; an electronic box assembly comprising an
enclosure and an electronic module contained within the enclosure,
the enclosure having a first side and a second side opposing the
first side such that the electronic module is disposed between the
first side and second side, the electronic box assembly having a
horizontal mounting flange attached to and extending outward
substantially perpendicularly from the first side, and a vertical
mounting flange attached to and extending upward substantially
parallel the first side; wherein the cradle assembly and electronic
box assembly are configured to be attached to each other in a
horizontal mounting configuration, wherein the cradle assembly is
attached to the electronic box assembly with the first side of the
enclosure oriented substantially horizontally and fastening the
back side of the cradle housing to the horizontal mounting flange
using one or more fasteners; and wherein the cradle assembly and
electronic box assembly are configured to be attached to each other
in a vertical mounting configuration, wherein the cradle assembly
is attached to the electronic box assembly with the first side of
the enclosure oriented substantially vertically and fastening the
back side of the cradle housing to the vertical mounting flange
using one or more fasteners.
2. The docking cradle of claim 1, wherein in the horizontal mount
configuration, the horizontal mounting flange is attached to the
back side of the cradle housing using the one or more
fasteners.
3. The docking cradle of claim 1, wherein in the vertical mount
configuration, the vertical mounting flange is attached to the back
side of the cradle housing using the one or more fasteners.
4. The docking cradle of claim 3, wherein the cradle connector is a
spring-loaded pin connector.
5. The docking cradle of claim 1, wherein the cradle assembly
further comprises a motorized latch assembly configured to
releasably lock the computing device into the slot.
6. The docking cradle of claim 5, wherein the motorized latch
assembly comprises: a motor coupled to a drive shaft; a cam
disposed on the drive shaft; and a latch coupled to the cam such
that rotation of the cam moves the latch between a locked position
in which the latch engages a detent of the computing device thereby
preventing the computing device from being removed from the slot,
and an unlocked position in which the latch is disengaged from the
detent thereby allowing the computing device to be removed from the
slot.
7. The docking cradle of claim 6, wherein the motorized latch
assembly further comprises a biasing device which biases the latch
toward the locked position.
8. The docking cradle of claim 7, wherein the biasing device is a
spring.
9. The docking cradle of claim 5, wherein the motorized latch
assembly is operably coupled to, and controllable by, an onboard
management computer system.
10. The docking cradle of claim 5, wherein the motorized latch
assembly is operably coupled to the electronic module, and the
motorized latch assembly is controllable by an onboard management
computer system via the electronic module.
11. The docking cradle of claim 1, wherein the electronic module
comprises a printed circuit board.
12. The docking cradle of claim 1, wherein the cradle connector
connects to a computing device connector on the computing device
when the computing device is installed in the slot, and the cradle
assembly further comprises a wireless communication module
configured to wirelessly communicate with the computing device when
the computing device is removed from the slot.
13. A docking cradle for a handheld computing device, the docking
cradle comprising: a cradle assembly comprising a cradle housing
having a front side, a bottom side, a top side and a back side, the
front side of the cradle housing having a slot for receiving the
computing device and holding the computing device in a
substantially vertical orientation, the cradle assembly comprising
a cradle connector which connects to a computing device connector
on the computing device when the computing device is installed in
the slot; an electronic box assembly comprising an enclosure and an
electronic module contained within the enclosure, the enclosure
having a first side and a second side opposing the first side such
that the electronic module is disposed between the first side and
second side; the electronic box assembly having a horizontal
mounting flange attached to and extending outward substantially
perpendicularly from the first side, and a vertical mounting flange
attached to and extending upward substantially parallel the first
side; wherein the cradle assembly and electronic box assembly are
configured to be attached to a horizontal mounting surface in a
horizontal mounting configuration, wherein the enclosure is mounted
to the horizontal mounting surface with the first side of the
enclosure oriented substantially horizontally and the cradle
housing sitting on top of the first side of the enclosure such that
the bottom side of the cradle housing rests on the first side of
the enclosure and fastening the back side of the cradle housing to
the horizontal mounting flange using one or more fasteners; and
wherein the cradle assembly and electronic box assembly are
configured to be attached to a vertical mounting surface in a
vertical mounting configuration, wherein the enclosure is mounted
to the vertical mounting surface with the first side of the
enclosure oriented substantially vertically and the first side of
the enclosure bearing against the back side of the cradle housing
and fastening the back side of the cradle housing to the vertical
mounting flange using one or more fasteners.
14. The docking cradle of claim 13, wherein the cradle connector is
a spring-loaded pin connector.
15. The docking cradle of claim 13, wherein the cradle assembly
further comprises a motorized latch assembly configured to
releasably lock the computing device into the slot.
16. The docking cradle of claim 15, wherein the motorized latch
assembly comprises: a motor coupled to a drive shaft; a cam
disposed on the drive shaft; and a latch coupled to the cam such
that rotation of the cam moves the latch between a locked position
in which the latch engages a detent of the computing device thereby
preventing the computing device from being removed from the slot,
and an unlocked position in which the latch is disengaged from the
detent thereby allowing the computing device to be removed from the
slot.
17. The docking cradle of claim 16, wherein the motorized latch
assembly further comprises a biasing device which biases the latch
toward the locked position.
18. The docking cradle of claim 14, wherein the motorized latch
assembly is operably coupled to, and controllable by, an onboard
management computer system.
19. The docking cradle of claim 14, wherein the cradle assembly
further comprises a wireless communication module configured to
wirelessly communicate with the computing device when the computing
device is removed from the slot.
Description
BACKGROUND
The field of the invention generally relates to docking cradles for
handheld computing devices, and more particularly, to a docking
cradle for a handheld computing device which can mount to a
vertical mounting surface or a horizontal mounting surface in which
the computing device is in the same orientation.
Many vehicles of common carriers, such as airplanes, passenger
trains, buses, cruise ships, and the like, have individualized
functional equipment dedicated to a particular passenger seat which
can be utilized by the passenger, such as video and/or audio
entertainment systems, adjustable seats, adjustable environmental
controls, adjustable lighting, telephony systems, crew
communication systems, and the like. For example, many commercial
airplanes have individualized video and audio entertainment
systems, often referred to as "in-flight entertainment" or "IFE"
systems.
As one example of a passenger seat function, the entertainment
systems (e.g., an IFE system) for passenger carrier vehicles, such
as commercial airlines, often include in-seat video display units
installed at each passenger seat. For instance, video display units
may be mounted at each of the seatbacks of the passenger seats. The
entertainment system includes a centralized entertainment system
server which is networked to each of the video display units via a
communication network. The entertainment system server distributes
media content (e.g., videos, audio, movies, television shows, etc.)
to each of the video display units. Generally, the entertainment
system allows each passenger to select from multiple video channels
and/or audio channels, or even individually select and play videos
and/or audio from a library of videos and audio content. The video
displays may also provide games, communication applications (e.g.,
telephone service, messaging, etc.), internet browsing, and other
computer applications. In some systems, the video displays may be
smart monitors which can run computer applications and process and
store data internally.
To operate the seat functions, such as the video display system,
environmental controls, seat adjustment, etc., controls are
provided on or near the passenger seat that allow the passenger to
control the seat functions. The controls may be physical buttons,
or on-screen interfaces displayed, for instance, on a touchscreen
of the video display unit, or on a separate controller having a
touchscreen display. For example, some commercial airplane
entertainment systems have on-screen interfaces for controlling a
reading light, activating a crew member call signal, as well as
controlling the audio/video entertainment. Some systems utilize a
tethered handheld controller which is connected via a cable to the
video display unit or to an arm rest of the passenger seat. The
cable electrically connects the handheld controller to the video
display unit and also physically connects the controller to the
seat location. Tethering of the handheld controller allows a
passenger to conveniently hold the controller for controlling the
seat functions, while also preventing the controller from being
removed by the passenger from the particular seat, or from the
vehicle itself. However, tethering the controller also has a number
of shortcomings. The tethering cable can be a nuisance which
interferes with the ingress/egress of adjacent passengers and
access to a seatback tray or other articles in and around the seat,
and also limits the range in which the controller can be located
such as when a passenger reclines a seat or moves further from the
tethered location.
In order to overcome some of the drawbacks of tethered handheld
controllers, wireless handheld controllers have been disclosed. For
example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,584,846, discloses a docking cradle for
holding and locking a wireless, handheld controller in the cradle.
The controller has a form factor similar to a mobile phone. The
docking cradle has a recessed area for receiving and holding the
controller. The cradle has a locking tab which retains the
controller in the cradle. The locking tab is coupled to a manually
actuated button to actuate the locking tab to release the
controller from the cradle. The cradle also has an electronically
controlled lock which locks and unlocks the button from being
actuated to release the controller. The electronically controlled
lock is controlled by a printed circuit board (PCB) attached to a
support structure on the bottom of the cradle. The PCB activates
the electronically controlled lock in response to a lock/unlock
control signal from a crew management terminal. As the cradle and
support structure for the PCB are integrated, the cradle and PCB
are not separable to provide multiple mounting options. In
addition, releasing the controller from the cradle requires
manually actuating button, and therefore the cradle cannot fully
release the controller electronically.
SUMMARY
In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to an
innovative docking cradle for a handheld computing device, such as
a remote controller or tablet computer. The docking cradle can
mount to a vertical mounting surface or a horizontal mounting
surface, and in either case, the computing device is in
substantially the same orientation for convenient use and access by
a user. In addition, the docking cradle can completely lock and
unlock the computing device in the cradle electronically in
response to a lock/unlock control signal from a central
computerized management system. In another aspect, the docking
cradle is mountable at a passenger seat of a passenger vehicle, as
part of an onboard entertainment system. The passenger vehicle may
be of any type having a plurality of passenger seats, including a
commercial airplane, train, trolley, bus, ship, ferry, automobile,
truck, etc.
The docking cradle includes a cradle assembly and a separate
electronic box assembly. The electronic box assembly is configured
to be mounted to a mounting structure at the passenger seat, such
as to a seat back, table, or other suitable structure. The cradle
assembly attaches to the electronic box assembly. The cradle
assembly comprises a cradle housing having a front side, a bottom
side, a top side and a back side. The front side of the housing has
a slot for slidably receiving the computing device and holding the
computing device in a substantially vertical orientation so that
the computing device is conveniently viewable and accessible to a
user.
The electronic box assembly includes an enclosure and an electronic
module contained within the enclosure. The electronic module may
include electronics for operating an electronic, motorized latch
assembly in the cradle assembly for locking/unlocking the handheld
computing device in the docking cradle. In particular, wiring
connects the electronics in the electronic box assembly to the
motorized latch assembly in the cradle assembly. The enclosure has
a first side and a second side opposing the first side such that
the electronic module is disposed between the first side and second
side. The electronic module may include a PCB and other
electronics. The electronic box assembly also has a horizontal
mounting flange attached to and extending outward substantially
perpendicularly from the first side. The horizontal mounting flange
is for attaching the cradle assembly to the electronic box assembly
in a horizontal mount configuration in which electronic box
assembly is mounted to a mounting structure with the first side
being oriented substantially horizontally. The electronic box
assembly also has a vertical mounting flange attached to and
extending upward substantially parallel to the first side. The
vertical mounting flange is for attaching the cradle assembly to
the electronic box assembly in a vertical mount configuration in
which the electronic box assembly is mounted to a mounting
structure with the first side being oriented substantially
vertically.
Accordingly, the docking cradle has two different mounting
configurations, referred to as a horizontal mount and a vertical
mount, based upon the orientation of the mounting structure to
which the docking cradle is mounted and the orientation of the
electronic box assembly as mounted to the mounting structure. In
the horizontal mount, the electronic box would typically be mounted
to a horizontal mounting structure (e.g., a table), and in the
vertical mount, the electronic box would typically be mounted to a
vertical mounting structure (e.g., a seat back or vehicle
wall).
In the horizontal mount configuration, the electronic box assembly
is configured for mounting to a horizontal mounting structure with
the first side of the electronic box oriented substantially
horizontally. The cradle assembly is attached to the electronic box
assembly with the cradle housing sitting on top of the first side
of the enclosure such that the bottom of the cradle housing rests
on the first side of the enclosure.
In the vertical mount configuration, the electronic box assembly is
configured for mounting to a vertical mounting structure with the
first side of the electronic box oriented substantially vertically.
The cradle assembly is attached to the electronic box assembly with
the first side of the enclosure of the electronic box assembly
bearing against the back side of the cradle housing.
In another aspect of the docking cradle, in the horizontal mount
configuration, the horizontal mounting flange is attached to the
back side of the housing using one or more fasteners. Furthermore,
the vertical mounting flange may bear against the bottom side of
the cradle housing.
In still another aspect, in the vertical mount configuration, the
vertical mounting flange is attached to the back side of the
housing using one or more fasteners. In addition, the horizontal
mounting flange may bear against the bottom side of the cradle
housing.
In another feature, the cradle assembly may further comprise a
cradle connector which connects to a computing device connector on
the computing device when the computing device is installed in the
slot in order to provide a conductive electrical connection between
the computing device and the docking cradle. In another aspect, the
cradle connector may be a spring-loaded pin connector, such as a
POGO style connector.
In still another feature of the docking cradle, the cradle assembly
may also include a motorized latch assembly configured to
releasably lock the computing device into the slot. In yet another
aspect, the motorized latch assembly may include: a motor coupled
to a drive shaft; a cam disposed on the drive shaft; and a latch
coupled to the cam such that rotation of the cam moves the latch
between a locked position and an unlocked position. In the locked
position, the latch engages a detent of the computing device
locking the computing device into the slot. In the unlocked
position, the latch is disengaged from the detent thereby allowing
the computing device to be removed from the slot. The motorized
latch assembly may also have a biasing device (e.g., a spring)
which biases the latch toward the locked position.
In another feature, the motorized latch assembly may be operably
coupled to, and controllable by, a central management computer
system. For instance, the motorized latch assembly may be connected
to the electronic module which is in turn connected to the central
management computer system.
In another aspect, the cradle assembly includes a wireless
communication module configured to wirelessly communicate with the
computing device. For instance, the wireless communication module
may be utilized to communicate with the computing device when the
computing device is removed from the slot such that it is not
connected to the conductive cradle connector.
In still another aspect, the docking cradle may be utilized in an
onboard entertainment system on a passenger vehicle, such as an
IFE. The docking cradle is mounted to a support structure of the
vehicle. The docking cradle is operably coupled to an in-seat video
display system and/or an entertainment system server. For example,
the electronics module of the docking cradle may be operably
connected to the in-seat video display system such that the
computing device can receive inputs from a user to control the
video display system and/or other seat functions, and send control
signals to the video display system to control the video display
system and/or other seat functions. The docking cradle and
computing device may also be configured to receive media content
from the entertainment system server (e.g., via the video display
system) to play the media content on the computing device, such
that the computing device is an auxiliary video monitor to a main
video monitor of the video display system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other aspects of embodiments are described in
further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein
like reference numerals refer to like elements and the description
for like elements shall be applicable for all described embodiments
wherever relevant:
FIG. 1 is a front, perspective view of a docking cradle for a
handheld computing device, in a horizontal mount configuration,
according to one embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a rear, perspective view of the docking cradle of FIG. 1,
in a horizontal mount configuration, according to one
embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a rear, perspective, exploded view of the docking cradle
of FIG. 1, in a horizontal mount configuration, according to one
embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a front, perspective view of the docking cradle of FIG.
1, in a vertical mount configuration, according to one
embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a rear, perspective view of the docking cradle of FIG. 1,
in a vertical mount configuration, according to one embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a rear, perspective, exploded view of the docking cradle
of FIG. 1, in a vertical mount configuration, according to one
embodiment;
FIG. 7 is a front, perspective view of the cradle assembly of the
docking cradle of FIG. 1, according to one embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 8 is a rear, perspective view of the cradle assembly of the
docking cradle of FIG. 1, according to one embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 9 is a front, perspective, exploded view of the cradle
assembly of the docking cradle of FIG. 1, according to one
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a rear, perspective, partial exploded view of the cradle
assembly with the rear cover removed, according to one embodiment
of the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a rear, perspective, exploded view of the motorized
latch assembly and front cover of the cradle assembly, according to
one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 12 is a front, perspective view of the electronic box assembly
of the docking cradle of FIG. 1, according to one embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 13 is a rear perspective, view of the electronic box assembly
of the docking cradle of FIG. 1, according to one embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 14 is a front, perspective, exploded view of the electronic
box assembly of the docking cradle of FIG. 1, according to one
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 15 is a block schematic diagram of the docking cradle of FIG.
1, according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 16 is a block schematic diagram of a handheld computing device
for use with the docking cradle of FIG. 1, according to one
embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 17 is a block schematic diagram of an onboard entertainment
system that includes the docking cradle and handheld computing
device according to embodiments disclosed herein, according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention is directed to an innovative docking cradle
for a handheld computing device. The handheld computing device may
be any suitable electronic device, such as a handheld controller,
remote control, tablet computer, smartphone or other electronic
device. For example, the handheld computing device may be a tablet
computer which is configured as a remote control for a video
display unit of an onboard entertainment system (e.g., an IFE
system) of a passenger vehicle. In one feature, the docking cradle
is configured to be mountable to a horizontal mounting surface
(e.g., a table or other horizontal surface), or a vertical mounting
surface (e.g., a seatback or wall), while in either mounting
orientation, the docking cradle holds the computing device in
substantially the same orientation for convenient use and access by
a user. For instance, the docking cradle may hold the computing
device in a vertical orientation, a substantially vertical
orientation, or a small angle away from vertical, such that a
display monitor and/or input device of the computing device is
easily viewed by the user and accessible by the user while the
computing device is installed in the docking cradle. In this way,
the user can conveniently use the computing device while it is
installed in the docking cradle. In addition, the docking cradle
has an electronic locking mechanism to lock and unlock the
computing device in the cradle from a central management computer
system.
Although the embodiment described herein may be used in an onboard
entertainment system by mounting the docking cradle at a passenger
seat, the docking cradle is not limited to such installations, but
can be utilized in any suitable application, such as in schools,
libraries, public spaces, etc., where it is useful to be able to
dock a handheld computing device and be capable of locking and
unlocking the device in the docking cradle.
Referring to FIGS. 1-6, one embodiment of a docking cradle 10 for
holding a handheld computing device 80 (see FIGS. 16 and 17) is
illustrated. The docking cradle 10 comprises two main components,
namely, a cradle assembly 12 and an electronic box assembly 14. The
docking cradle 10 is removably attachable to the electronic box
assembly 14 using a plurality of fasteners 16, such as screws 16.
As depicted in FIGS. 1-6, the docking cradle 10 has two different
assembly configurations between the cradle assembly 12 and the
electronic box assembly 14.
As shown in FIGS. 1-3, in a first configuration, referred to as a
horizontal mount configuration (or horizontal mount), electronic
box assembly 14 is configured to be mounted to a substantially
horizontal mounting surface, such as a table, with a first side 18
of the electronic box assembly 14 oriented in a substantially
horizontal orientation. The cradle assembly 12 is attached to the
electronic box assembly 14 with the cradle assembly 12 sitting on
top of the first side 18.
As shown in FIGS. 4-6, in a second configuration, referred to as a
vertical mount configuration (or vertical mount), the electronic
box assembly 14 is configured to be mounted to a substantially
vertical mounting surface, such as a seatback or wall, with the
first side 18 of the electronic box assembly 14 oriented in a
substantially vertical orientation. The cradle assembly 12 is
attached to the electronic box assembly 14 with the first side 18
of the electronic box assembly bearing against the back side 20 of
the cradle assembly 12.
In this way, the narrower dimension of the electronic box assembly
14 extends away from the mounting surface in both the horizontal
mount and the vertical mount, resulting in an overall more compact
installation.
Turning to FIGS. 7-11, the cradle assembly 12 includes a cradle
housing 22 which forms the main structure of the cradle assembly
12. The cradle housing 22 has a front side 24, a bottom side 26, a
top side 28 and a back side 20. As shown in FIG. 9, in the
disclosed embodiment, the bottom side 26 and back side 20 may be an
integral part which is removable from the front side 24 such that
it forms a cover 21 of the cradle housing 22. The cover 21 may
attach to the front side 24 using a plurality of fasteners 23. The
front side 24 has a slot 30 for slidably receiving the computing
device 80 and holding the computing device 80 in a substantially
vertical orientation. The slot 30 is formed by an outer wall 32 and
a parallel, spaced apart inner wall 34. The slot 30 is open at the
top and has a slot bottom 36 upon which the computing device 80
rests when it is installed in the docking cradle 10.
Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the cradle assembly 12 also has an
electronic latch assembly 38 for releasably locking and unlocking
the computing device 80 in the docking cradle 10. The electronic
latch assembly 38 is housed in the cradle housing 22 and mounts to
the interior of the front side 24 of the cradle housing 22 using a
plurality of fasteners (e.g., screws). The electronic latch
assembly 38 comprises a latch frame 40. A drive shaft 42 is
rotatably coupled to the latch frame 38. The latch assembly 38 has
an electric motor 44 (e.g., an electric stepper motor) mounted to
the latch frame 40. A gear drive 46 comprising a shaft gear 48 and
a motor gear 50 couples the drive shaft 42 to the electric motor
44. Each end of the drive shaft 42 has a cam 52 which couples to a
respective locking tab 54. The locking tabs 54 are moved forward
and backward by the rotation of the drive shaft 42 and gear drive
46 as they are driven by the electric motor 44. The latch assembly
38 has a biasing device 53, such as a spring, which biases the
locking tabs 54 toward the forward (locked) position. When in the
forward position, the locking tabs 54 engage respective detents on
the back of the computing device 80 when it is installed in the
slot 32 thereby locking the computing device 80 in the docking
cradle 10. When in the backward position, the locking tabs 54 are
disengaged from the detents thereby allowing the computing device
80 to be removed from the slot 32 by sliding the computing device
80 upward and out of the slot 32. The electric motor 44 is operably
coupled to an electronic motor controller on a printed circuit
board (PCB) 46 in the electronic box assembly 14 (see FIGS. 12 and
14) which controls the operation of the electronic latch assembly
38. The electric motor 44 may be connected to the PCB 46 using a
flex cable, or other suitable cable.
The cradle assembly 38 has a cradle connector 56 which extends
through an opening in the front side 24 and bottom side 26 of the
cradle housing 22. The cradle connector 56 is configured to
electrically connect with a computing device connector 104 (see
FIG. 16) on the computing device 80 to transmit power and data
between the docking cradle 10 and the computing device 80. The
cradle connector 56 may be a spring-loaded pin connector, such as a
POGO style connector. The cradle connecter 56 is operably coupled
to the PCB 46.
Turning to FIGS. 12-14, the electronic box assembly 14 includes an
enclosure 58 and the PCB 46 contained within the enclosure 58. The
PCB 46 includes electronic components mounted on the PCB 46 for
operating the latch assembly 38 and for transmitting power and data
between the docking cradle 10 and a central management computer
system 60 (see FIG. 17). The enclosure 58 is a rectangular box
having a first side 62 and a second side 64 opposing the first side
62 with the PCB 46 disposed between the first side 62 and the
second side 64. The enclosure 58 has a horizontal mounting flange
64 attached to and extending outward from the first side 62. The
horizontal mounting flange 64 extends substantially perpendicularly
outward from the first side 62. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the
horizontal mounting flange 64 is used to attach the cradle assembly
12 to the electronic box assembly 14 in the horizontal mount
configuration.
The enclosure 58 also has a vertical mounting flange 66 attached to
and extending upward substantially parallel to the first side 62.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the vertical mounting flange 66 is used
to attach the cradle assembly 12 to the electronic box assembly 14
in the vertical mount configuration.
The enclosure also has a pair of side mounting flanges 68 used to
attach the cradle assembly 12 to the electronic box assembly in
both the horizontal and vertical mount configurations.
As shown in FIG. 13, the electronic box assembly 14 has a computer
system connector 70 for electrically connecting the locking cradle
10 to the central computer management system 60. The computer
system connector 70 is operably connected to the PCB 46. A flex
cable (not shown) electrically connects the PCB 46 in the
electronic box assembly 14 to the cradle connector 56 and the
electronic latch assembly 38 (e.g., the electronic latch assembly
38 may be electrically connected to the cradle connector 56, or it
may have a separate connection to the flex cable).
The PCB 46 has a wireless communication module 72 configured to
wireless communicate with the computing device 80, such as when the
computing device 80 is removed from the docking cradle 10. The
computing device 80 has a compatible wireless communication module
74 (see FIG. 16) for wireless communicating with the wireless
communication module 72. The wireless communication modules 72 and
74 may be any suitable wireless communication modules, such as
WLAN, wireless USB, WiMAX WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular phone
communication, etc.
Referring to FIG. 15, a block schematic diagram of the docking
cradle 10 is illustrated. The docking cradle 10 includes a
processor or logic control circuit 82. The processor or logic
control circuit 82 is configured to execute computer program
instructions or logic to perform the functions described herein for
the docking cradle 10. The docking cradle 10 includes memory 84, a
wired communication module 86 (e.g., Ethernet adapter, or other
suitable network adapter), a wireless communication module 72, a
storage device 83, and an electronic latch interface 88 for
controlling the electronic latch assembly 38. Each of these
components may be disposed and operably interconnected on the PCB
46.
Turning to FIG. 16, a block schematic diagram of an exemplary
handheld computing device 80 is illustrated. The handheld computing
device 80 includes a processor 90 configured to execute computer
program instructions to perform the functions described herein for
the computing device 80, including without limitation, functioning
as a controller for: a display system of an onboard entertainment
system, seat functions, and onboard communication functions, a
secondary display monitor for an entertainment system, etc. The
computing device 80 further includes a wired networking interface
92 (e.g., Ethernet adapter, or other suitable network adapter),
memory 94, a storage device 96, system software 98 for operating
the computing device 80, a wireless communication module 74 (as
described herein), an audio output interface 100 and a touch screen
display 102.
Referring now to FIG. 17, a block schematic diagram of an exemplary
onboard entertainment system 104 is illustrated. The onboard
entertainment system 104 includes a central management computer
system 60. The central management computer system 60 includes an
entertainment system server 106. The entertainment system server
106 includes a processor 108, memory 110, a storage device 111
(e.g., for storing media such as movies, music, etc. to be
distributed to each of the seat display systems 120), system
software 112 for programming the processor 108 to perform the
entertainment system functions, a display monitor 114 (e.g., a crew
terminal), and a network adapter 116 (e.g., Ethernet adapter, or
other suitable network adapter). The central computer management
system 60 also has a network switch/adapter 118 for networking the
central computer management system 60 to each of the N number of
seat display systems 120.
Each of the plurality of passenger seats 122 (only one passenger
seat 122 is shown in FIG. 17, with the understanding that the
onboard entertainment system 104 includes N number of such
passenger seats 122) is equipped with a seat display system 120,
and a docking cradle 10 with a handheld computing device 80
installed on the docking cradle 10. The seat display system 120
includes a video display/smart monitor 124 and a network adapter
126 (e.g., Ethernet adapter, or other suitable network adapter).
The network adapter 126 is in network communication with the
network switch/router 118, so that each of the N number of seat
display systems 120 are in network communication with the
entertainment system server 106. As described herein, the docking
cradle 10 and the handheld computing device 80 are also in network
communication with each other and the seat display system 120.
As described herein, the central computer management system 60,
seat display system 120, and docking cradle 10 are configured to
allow the central computer management system 60 to actuate the
electronic latch assembly 38 of the docking cradle 10 at each of
the passenger seats 122 between the locked position and unlocked
position by a central command from central computer management
system 60. For example, a crew member can enter a lock or unlock
command on the crew terminal 114. The central computer management
system 60 transmits the command to the seat display system 120 at
each of the affected seats 122. Each respective seat display system
120 then transmits the command to the respective docking cradle 10
which actuates the electronic latch assembly 38 in response to the
command.
Although particular embodiments have been shown and described, it
is to be understood that the above description is not intended to
limit the scope of these embodiments. While embodiments and
variations of the many aspects of the invention have been disclosed
and described herein, such disclosure is provided for purposes of
explanation and illustration only. Thus, various changes and
modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the
claims. For example, not all of the components described in the
embodiments are necessary, and the invention may include any
suitable combinations of the described components, and the general
shapes and relative sizes of the components of the invention may be
modified. Accordingly, embodiments are intended to exemplify
alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that may fall within
the scope of the claims. The invention, therefore, should not be
limited, except to the following claims, and their equivalents.
* * * * *